Katy on the empty streets of Hot Springs

I like to vacation when other people aren’t vacationing.  Which is why we like to vacation in January. The townhouses were all pretty empty at Sunbay in Hot Springs, Arkansas, except for ours.  The famous bar at the Arlington Hotel was empty when we stopped by for Martinis.  Not many tourists walking and gawking on Central, except us. We had some nice walks, met some interesting local artisans, and generally relaxed.

Here’s what I learned on vacation:

1.  If you feel guilty and go to a gym, don’t use equipment you aren’t familiar with.  I tried out some Nautilus machines, and had strained muscles for the rest of the vacation.

2.  Many locals in resort towns have no idea what all the outsiders that come to town do there.

3.  Getting my car repaired, including a scheduled major maintenance, at the dealership in Hot Springs was much cheaper and faster than getting the work done at home.  And they gave me a free loaner car.

4. No matter how good of a gambler you think you are, you don’t always have a winning day.  Our vacation dates overlapped the first 2 days of racing at Oaklawn.  Each day we sat near people who were seasoned gamblers, with tip sheets.  We all had net losses, but at least Katy and I enjoyed it.

5.  You never seem to get to the pile of books you brought along that you have been meaning to read.